Cap assembly



R. L. HATCHER July 3, 1962 CAP ASSEMBLY Filed July 3, 1959 INVENTOR ROBERT l.. HA TCHER ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,041,955 CAP ASSEMBLY Robert L. Hatcher, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Noll Manufacturing Company, Berkeley, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 3, 1959, Ser. No. 824,885 1 Claim. (Cl. 98-46) My invention relates to devices particularly useful in building and designed to rest upon a building roof surrounding a vent pipe projecting upwardly therethrough. Devices of this sort are shown in the issued patent to Fernsten et al., No. 2,890,642, issued June 16, 1959, entitled Cap Assembly. Structures of this kind are designed for use on roofs of varying slopes. Customarily, they include a pair of originally separate elements which are assembled on the job and thereafter remain together.

It is an object of my invention to provide a cap assembly which is easily put together on the job and easily fastened in its assembled condition permanently with a rm interconnection capable of resisting virtually all dislodging forces.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap assembly having a relatively inexpensive yet effective way of fastening the parts together in their desired interrelationship.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cap assembly in which the fastening means can be manufactured with only nominal precision, the arrangement being such that a good deal of variation can be tolerated between individual units and the assembly and interrelationship will still be satisfactory.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap assembly which can quite easily and economically be manufactured and used.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cap assembly which is an improvement over cap assemblies heretofore known.

While the cap assembly of the invention can be incorporated in a number of diiferent ways, it has practically been successful in the form of construction described in the accompanying description and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a cap assembly pursuant to the invention mounted on a roof, the roof being shown in one sloping condition in full lines and in another sloping condition in dotted lines.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section, the plane of which is indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE l.

In the preferred form of the device, the installation Vis made upon a roof 6 having any one of a number of different slopes. Designed to rest upon the roof is a base plate 7 usually rectangular in plan and fabricated of a somewhat benda'ole sheet metal, such as galvanized iron of approximately twenty-two gauge thickness. The plate 7 has an aperture therein to pass a vent pipe 8 which projects upwardly from the roof and is symmetrical about an axis 9 which is substantially vertical.

Secured to the plate 7 by any suitable means is a base cone 11, likewise constructed of sheet metal, and extending upwardly from the plate 7 to a convenient height. The frusto conical base has its own axis 13 which is approximately, but not exactly, coincident with the axis 9 in most installations, the relative angularity of the axes varying as the roof pitch varies. For example, as shown by dotted lines, the base plate 71 when on a roof of different slope has an axis 13l which is still considered to be approximately coincident with the axis 9.

Surrounding the vent pipe 8 is a circular cylindrical tube 16 conveniently fabricated also of sheet metal and terminating in a lower lmargin 17 which rests upon the 3,041,955 Patented July 3, 1962 base cone 11. Since the metal is slightly flexible, there is a relatively good interengagement between the tube 16 and the cone 11 in any of the angularly adjusted positions thereof.

Disposed around the lower periphery of the tube 16, and preferably disposed symmetrically, are various portions of an interengaging, fastening device. This includes a pair of channels 21 and 22 located on a diameter of the tube 16. Each of the channels, such as 21, is preferably struck outwardly from the tube 16 but of the same material as the tube and includes an outer wall 23 and side walls 24 and 26.

The upper portion of each of the channels 21 and 22 abruptly terminates in an edge 27 denedby a cut or slit 28 in the material of the tube 16. -ln a similar fashion, the tube 16 is provided with a second pair of channels 31 and 32 disposed at the opposite ends of a diameter normal to the diameter on which the channels 21 and 22 are located. In the form shown, there are four channels located on quadrants of the tube 16.

Designed to interengage with the various channels are readily bendable metal straps 36, 37, 38 and 39 located on quadrants of the base cone 11 and preferably secured thereto by rivets 41 so that the individual straps, such as 36, can be slightly rotated. The transverse width of each of the straps, such as 36, is considerably less than the corresponding transverse width of the interacting channel 21 as measured by the distance between the walls 24 and 26 thereof. That is, the strap 36 is a loose it laterally or transversely within its adjacent. channel 21. Similarly, each of the other straps is a transversely loose fit in its associated channel. That means that each of the straps can be rotated about its fastening pivot, such as 41, and can swing slightly between the side walls 24 and 26 of the channel, such as 21.

In use, the assembly is made substantially as shown in FIGURE 1, with the straps passing through their respective channels. When the assembly is in iirm interengagement, the straps are individually bent over the edges 27 of the channels so that the assembly is permanently held in place at four places.

As especially illustrated in FIGURE 1 when the installation is made on roofs of different slopes, the straps, particularly the .lateral straps 38 and 39, can pivot about their rivets 41 so that they can swing within the relative freedom of the wide channels, such as 31 and 32. The straps are then individually bent downwardly, as shown in FIGURE 1, and are bent either straight across when the installation is as shown in full lines in FIG- URE l or are bent slightly on the bias when the installation is as shown by the broken lines in FIGURE l.

With this arrangement, an installation can readily be made on roofs of varying slope, with the straps and the channels interengaging easily. The parts are rigidly held together after the straps are bent in `at least four different locations so that the assembly is quite iirm not only in the plane of the straps 36 and 37 but also in the plane of the straps 38 and 39. The relative freedom of movement permits manufacture to only moderate tolerances and facilitates thel manipulation of the parts for ready assembly at different angles and for easy securing in the eld.

What is claimed is:

A cap assembly for use on roofs of different slope and having a vent pipe extending vertically therethrough comprising a sheet metal base including a truncated cone disposed with its larger portion adjacent said roof and surrounding said vent pipe and its smaller portion spaced :above said roof; a rst pair of sheet metal straps having a predetermined width; a first pair of `securing means each disposed exteriorly on said truncated cone at one end of a horizontal diometer thereof for privotally engaging the CP lower end of a respective one of said irst pair of straps and mounting said irst pair of straps on opposite sides of said truncated cone to be disposed in an upright position; a second pair of sheet metal straps; a second pair of securing means each disposed exteriorly on said truncated cone at one of two opposite locations substantially evenly spaced circumferentially from said rst securing means for engaging the lower end of a respective one of said second pair of straps and mounting said second pair of straps on opposite sides of said truncated cone to be disposed in an upright position; a sheet metal tube `substantially circular in transverse cross section and at its lower margin, said tube being adapted to be disposed in a substantially verical position with said lower margin resting upon a particular part of -said truncated c-one depending upon the slope of said roof, said lower margin and said particular part of said truncated cone deforming relative to each other to `attord substantially continuous abutment therebetween; a first pair of channels in said tube interrupting said abutment and constituted by outwardly displaced, diametrically opposite, axially extending portions of said tube `adjacent and extending to said margin, each one of said irst pair of channels being of substantially greater circumferential width than said predetermined width of one of said first pair of straps; a second pair of channels in said tube interrupting said abutment and constituted by outwardly displaced, diametrically opposite, axially extending portions of said tube adjacent and extending to said margin and substantially evenly spaced circumferentially from said iirst pair of channels; means in said tube forming a iirst pair of cireumferentially extending slits spaced from said margin and in axial alignment with said rst pair of channels, each of said rst pair of slits having a greater circumferential extent than said predetermined width 0f one of said first pair of straps; and means in said tube forming a `second pair of circumferentially extending slits spaced from said margin and in axial alignment with said second pair of channels, said rst pair of straps being adapted to be passed between said truncated cone and said outwardly displaced portions of said tirst pair of channels and through said rst pair of slits from the inside to the outside of said tube and to be bent downwardly on the outside of said tube in any of the Various pivoted positions of said rst pair of straps relative to said rst pair of securing means depending upon the slope of said roof, and said second pair of straps being adapted to be passed between said truncated cone and said outwardly displaced portions of said second pair of channels and through said second pair of slits from the inside to the outside of said tube and to be bent downwardly on the outside of said tube in any of the various positions of said tube on said truncated cone depending upon the slope of said roof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 414,200 Elliot NOV. 5, 1889 605,263 Tharp June 7, 1898 613,229 Becker Nov. ly 1898 1,354,483 Holland Oct. 5, 1920 1,588,321 `Cord June 8, 1926 2,805,617 Badge sept. 10, 1957 2,890,642 Fernsten et al. June 16, 1959 2,909,113 Hatcher Oct. 20, 1959 FORETGN PATENTS 329,133 Switzerland Apr. 15, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Standard Furnace Supply Co., Ltd., 714 So. 72 St., Omaha, Nebraska. Catalogue List Price Catalogue No.

55, page 16, copyright 1955. 

